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Sunday, January 3, 2016

Shady: Wayne County Judge Wants To Use Public Property For Personal Profit In Controversial Trademark Request

Keith, center

By Brandon Hall

(Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com

Wayne County Probate Judge Terrance Keith has filed for a trademark of the phrase "Detroit RiverWalk" in an attempt to be the sole person allowed to profit from merchandise featuring the public property...

"A Wayne County judge has has applied to trademark the name “Detroit RiverWalk” in hopes of profiting from the sales of merchandise promoting one of the city’s premier attractions.

Wayne County Probate Judge Terrance Keith filed trademark applications last month with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the names “the Detroit RiverWalk” and “RiverWalk Detroit.”

Mark Wallace, president of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, a nonprofit that manages the 3.5 mile path along the Detroit River shoreline, would not comment Sunday on the trademark issue. According to the federal trademark database, the conservancy has trademarked the name “Detroit International Riverfront.”

Keith... told Crain’s Detroit Business that owning the trademarks will allow him to shape the future direction of the walkway; he’s willing to give some of the proceeds to the conservancy, but not all, according to Crain’s.

The current walkway stretches from Gabriel Richard Park near the Belle Isle bridge west to Joe Louis Arena and to the Ambassador Bridge.

The conservancy manages the 5.5-mile stretch of riverfront property, including the construction of a continuous RiverWalk along with plazas, pavilions and green spaces."

Stay tuned...

__________________________________________________________________Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.